Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Difference between revisions

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This trope is about when [[Power Creep, Power Seep]] ''does not'' come into play. To be a Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond, you don't have to be a [[Mary Sue]], but you must be much more powerful than the locals, without gaining anything you didn't have before. Also, no attempting to Nerf powers.

Compare [[Like a Fish Takes To Water]], where the individuals transplanted have some unique gifts or knowledge. This one is just a normal guy or person in his/her universe, but is special in another. [[Fish Out of Water]] goes hand-in-hand with this trope. This is a staple of comic book alien supers. [[Invoked Trope]] for [[Summon Everyman Hero]]. See also [[Those Were Only Their Scouts]]. Contrast [[Outside Context Villain]].

Compare [[Like a Fish Takes to Water]], where the individuals transplanted have some unique gifts or knowledge. This one is just a normal guy or person in his/her universe, but is special in another. [[Fish Out of Water]] goes hand-in-hand with this trope. This is a staple of comic book alien supers. [[Invoked Trope]] for [[Summon Everyman Hero]]. See also [[Those Were Only Their Scouts]]. Contrast [[Outside Context Villain]].

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== [[Comics]] ==

* [[Booster Gold]] was originally ''less'' than a muggle, he was a total loser: an ex-football player from the 25th disgraced by betting on his own games who ends up as the security guard of a museum. He steals a [[Time Travel|time travel device]] and a [[Robot Buddy~~|robot buddy~~]] and transports himself to present day... [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass|and has surprisingly become a great hero despite himself]].

* [[Booster Gold]] was originally ''less'' than a muggle, he was a total loser: an ex-football player from the 25th disgraced by betting on his own games who ends up as the security guard of a museum. He steals a [[Time Travel|time travel device]] and a [[Robot Buddy]] and transports himself to present day... [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass|and has surprisingly become a great hero despite himself]].

* [[The Flash]], of DC Comics fame, is considered a bit of an inversion when DC and Marvel did one of their crossovers. In the Marvel Universe, there's no Speed Force (the source of his super-speed), so he's basically an ordinary man.

* Inverted in [http://swords-and-veeblefetzers.blogspot.com/2010/11/monster-menace-1-terror-of-tim-boo-ba.html Tim Boo Ba,] a pre-FF Monster story from Stan Lee & Steve Ditko. TBB is the absolute monarch of his world, brought down by a drop of water spilled by a preteen boy on the model world he lives on.

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* [[Superman]] himself is an example; he's a completely normal [[Human Aliens|Kryptonian]], but the completely normal ability of Kryptonians to absorb solar energy makes him on Earth, well, [[Superman]].

** Same can be said about [[Martian Manhunter]] - completely normal Martian but compared to humans he is extremely powerful.

* While [[The Mighty Thor|Loki]] is often more of a [[Non-Action Guy|schemer than a fighter]] when dealing with Asgardians, and is supposed to be a weakling compared to fellow giants, it's sometimes acknowledged that he's still way beyond the physical capacity of any human. For instance, in ''[[Hulk Vs]]'', he's shown giving Bruce Banner a weak slap that is strong enough to launch Banner across the room, and as discussed by [http://www.reelz.com/movie-news/11947/two-new-the-avengers-images-plus-tom-loki-hiddleston-not-impressed-with-the-team/ Tom Hiddleston], who will play him in ''[[The Avengers (~~Film~~)|The Avengers]]'', being a god, Loki can easily take down the [[Badass Normal]] heroes, even [[World's Strongest Man]] [[Captain America]].

* While [[The Mighty Thor|Loki]] is often more of a [[Non-Action Guy|schemer than a fighter]] when dealing with Asgardians, and is supposed to be a weakling compared to fellow giants, it's sometimes acknowledged that he's still way beyond the physical capacity of any human. For instance, in ''[[Hulk Vs]]'', he's shown giving Bruce Banner a weak slap that is strong enough to launch Banner across the room, and as discussed by [http://www.reelz.com/movie-news/11947/two-new-the-avengers-images-plus-tom-loki-hiddleston-not-impressed-with-the-team/ Tom Hiddleston], who will play him in ''[[The Avengers (film)|The Avengers]]'', being a god, Loki can easily take down the [[Badass Normal]] heroes, even [[World's Strongest Man]] [[Captain America]].

** Some of Thor's commrades like Warrior's Three or Balder also qualify - they are pretty average if skilled warriors among their own people, but each of them is much stronger than human.

* [[Nemesis the Warlock]] is well-respected among his race, but is not potrayed as being extraordinary powerful. In fact, his crazy uncle Baal is said to have much greater power than him and he can be put on a spell even by young and unexperienced female Warlock (as they are by default more powerful than males) and the only thing that makes him special is being in the posession of Sword Sinister, through it's unexplained why. Compared to humans and other races he is however seen almost as a godlike bieng and Galaxy's only hope against Termight Empire.

== [[Fan Fiction]] ==

* In [[Thousand Shinji]], in a later chapter, {{spoiler|[[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Shinji]] unleashes four Chaos Space Marines against NERV special forces. While normal for [[Warhammer ~~40 K~~]], a Space Marine against normal humans is a textbook example of this trope.}}

* In [[Thousand Shinji]], in a later chapter, {{spoiler|[[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Shinji]] unleashes four Chaos Space Marines against NERV special forces. While normal for [[Warhammer 40000]], a Space Marine against normal humans is a textbook example of this trope.}}

* [[Warhammer ~~40 K~~]] fan fiction in general tends to do this, partially because they take so much [[Refuge in Audacity]]. Heck, one of the primary weapons is a gun that shoots [[More Dakka|automatic,]] [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|armor-piercing]], [[BFG|rocket-propelled]] [[Made of Explodium|grenades.]] This is considered one of the tamer weapons in the setting. More exotic guns include ones that fire monomolecular shards of metal, acid, fire, hypersonic projectiles, lasers, sound, horrible energy that strips you down to your core, molecule by molecule, and the power of Hell itself.

* [[Warhammer 40000]] fan fiction in general tends to do this, partially because they take so much [[Refuge in Audacity]]. Heck, one of the primary weapons is a gun that shoots [[More Dakka|automatic,]] [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|armor-piercing]], [[BFG|rocket-propelled]] [[Made of Explodium|grenades.]] This is considered one of the tamer weapons in the setting. More exotic guns include ones that fire monomolecular shards of metal, acid, fire, hypersonic projectiles, lasers, sound, horrible energy that strips you down to your core, molecule by molecule, and the power of Hell itself.

* Inverted in [[Sleeping ~~With~~ the Girls]] as the protagonist finds himself suddenly far more fragile in other universes due to them involving over the top [[Slapstick]] violence with everyone trying to give him a [[Megaton Punch]] and him just being a normal human.

* Inverted in [[Sleeping with the Girls]] as the protagonist finds himself suddenly far more fragile in other universes due to them involving over the top [[Slapstick]] violence with everyone trying to give him a [[Megaton Punch]] and him just being a normal human.

** This trope is played straighter, though, as the protagonist comes from our world, which has no magic. Thusly, when he goes to other worlds that ''do'' have magic, he isn't hurt by magical attacks at all. He can still be hurt or killed by magical side effects, such as the heat of a fireball causing his clothes to burn or to boil water he's drinking.

* This trope applied to humans is the basis of many a "Humanity, Fuck Yeah!" story: See [[Humans Are Warriors]] and [[Humanity Is Superior|related]] [[Humans Are Cthulhu|tropes]].

* ''[[~~The Thessalonica Legacy (Fanfic)|~~The Thessalonica Legacy]]'': Ramirez's ''Valkyrie'' is a Light 'Mech, bottom of the totem pole, and not even the best of that bottom-dweller pack. Without any other 'Mechs in Equestria to compete with, though, it is the absolute sovereign of the battlefield.

* ''[[The Thessalonica Legacy]]'': Ramirez's ''Valkyrie'' is a Light 'Mech, bottom of the totem pole, and not even the best of that bottom-dweller pack. Without any other 'Mechs in Equestria to compete with, though, it is the absolute sovereign of the battlefield.

== [[Film]] ==

* Essentially the premise of ''[[Idiocracy]]'': The soldier who was frozen was chosen specifically for being perfectly average in every way, but humanity evolved to be stupider, so when he [[Human Popsicle|wakes up]], he's the smartest man alive, and the person who was frozen with him is the smartest woman alive.

* In the ''[[Star Trek (~~Film~~)|Star Trek]]'' reboot, Nero's ship Narada goes back in time and defeats a fleet of Klingon Warbirds, yet it's only a simple mining vessel in his day. A comic book prequel series averts the trope by stating that Nero added Borg technology to the Narada before going back in time.

* In the ''[[Star Trek (film)|Star Trek]]'' reboot, Nero's ship Narada goes back in time and defeats a fleet of Klingon Warbirds, yet it's only a simple mining vessel in his day. A comic book prequel series averts the trope by stating that Nero added Borg technology to the Narada before going back in time.

== [[Literature]] ==

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** It's also suggested that the way one becomes more important and powerful in his plane is by helping others -- another reason he grants wishes... and the fact that a combination of his own vague-at-best understanding of humanity and his incompetent intermediary lead to his "boons" only causing trouble ensure he'll stay weak and unimportant for a long time.

* An example that appears to make this [[Older Than Radio]]: in ''[[John Carter of Mars]]'', the main character is a random American soldier... who ends up one of the strongest guys around on Mars because of that planet's lower gravity. (Thoroughly confused in one of the later books where he visits Jupiter and doesn't seem to have a problem walking there...)

* The protagonist of the first three books of the Spellsong Cycle is an opera singer [[Trapped in Another World]] in which music is literally magic - sing something, and it happens. Because being a musician in that world makes you a [[Person of Mass Destruction]], knowledge of music ''theory'' never got very far and much of the world is locked in [[Medieval Stasis]]. Her [[Giving Radio to ~~The~~ Romans|real-world education]] ends up making her an extremely dangerous and powerful individual.

* The protagonist of the first three books of the Spellsong Cycle is an opera singer [[Trapped in Another World]] in which music is literally magic - sing something, and it happens. Because being a musician in that world makes you a [[Person of Mass Destruction]], knowledge of music ''theory'' never got very far and much of the world is locked in [[Medieval Stasis]]. Her [[Giving Radio to the Romans|real-world education]] ends up making her an extremely dangerous and powerful individual.

* Dragonlance: {{spoiler|The Dragon Overlords of the War of Souls trilogy, dragons hundreds of feet in length, came from a world near where [[It Makes Sense in Context|Takhisis moved Krynn to so she could be the dominant goddess.]] They came to Krynn because they were weaklings on their planet of dragons. Scary place.}}

* In [[~~Gullivers~~ Travels]], the title character is a classic example among the lilliputians: Gulliver is a fairly normal human, but because the lilliputians are about six inches tall he becomes like a [[One-Man Army]] (or more accurately, Navy) for them.

* In [[Gulliver's Travels]], the title character is a classic example among the lilliputians: Gulliver is a fairly normal human, but because the lilliputians are about six inches tall he becomes like a [[One-Man Army]] (or more accurately, Navy) for them.

* There is a similar story titled "Gift of a worthless man" (don't know the author) where a low criminal crashlands on a planet inhabited by sentient roach-like creatures stuck in Ancient Ages. He teaches them agriculture and basic craftsmanship and essentially uplifts their society, so that 100 years later, they are already have industry.

** Alan Dean Foster from the ...Who Needs Enemies anthology

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* ''[[Necromunda]]'' of the ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' verse in a sense. Everywhere else, Imperial Guard technology (for example Flak Vests and Lasguns) is only good enough to allow a [[Zerg Rush]] against the various super-powered enemies, in the underhive of Necromunda, it's top class equipment.

** Going across different game systems can do this to the players themselves. In 40k, most models can only move 6 inches, with a select few allowed to move 12 inches, and a very small amount of them being able to charge an additional 12 inches (for a total of 24 inch threat radius). In fantasy, a 6 inch movement is one of the fastest base movements a foot model can have without being a horse (and even then, it's only a modest increase). This is because most models only have an average movement rate of 3-4 inches per turn, which in turn is hampered by certain equipment (especially horses, where barding trades speed for protection). Similarly, the Bolter's stats would be considered wildly powerful within fantasy, mainly because there are so few actual ranged weapons to compete with it (not to mention with the game's rules, it will completely obliterate most armors in the game).

* Sealed events in [[Magic ~~the~~ Gathering]] uses this trope to balance its pool of cards and not create massive game-breakers across multiple formats. Cards like Galvanic Juggernaut are horrible in preconstructed decks, but in a sealed enviroment where creatures die easily and most creatures not reaching even half it's power, it's one of the biggest bombs (it helps that it's much more easier to pull one of these than a mythic, giving you a better chance of both getting multiples to draw him out and to play).

* Sealed events in [[Magic: The Gathering]] uses this trope to balance its pool of cards and not create massive game-breakers across multiple formats. Cards like Galvanic Juggernaut are horrible in preconstructed decks, but in a sealed enviroment where creatures die easily and most creatures not reaching even half it's power, it's one of the biggest bombs (it helps that it's much more easier to pull one of these than a mythic, giving you a better chance of both getting multiples to draw him out and to play).

== [[Video Games]] ==

* In the ''[[Mega Man (~~Animation~~)|Mega Man]]'' animated series, there was an episode where [[Continuity Cameo|Mega Man X]] chases Sigma, Vile, et al back in time and meets the original Mega Man and crew. Though X is analogous to Mega Man in terms of strength in his own continuity, in Mega Man's time he is extremely powerful, as are the villains - the Mega Buster can't harm them.

* In the ''[[Mega Man (animation)|Mega Man]]'' animated series, there was an episode where [[Continuity Cameo|Mega Man X]] chases Sigma, Vile, et al back in time and meets the original Mega Man and crew. Though X is analogous to Mega Man in terms of strength in his own continuity, in Mega Man's time he is extremely powerful, as are the villains - the Mega Buster can't harm them.

* When you start the first night time levels in Plants Vs Zombies, the amount of Sun available to you is greatly lessened. As a result, you will tend to rely more on the cheap (and weaker) mushroom defences. This trope comes into effect because defences like the Pea Shooter, the first and most basic unit of daytime levels, suddenly becomes an expensive and powerful unit.

* In regular ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'', the Battlestars and Basestars are par for the course. In ''[[~~Battlestar Galactica Online (Video Game)|~~Battlestar Galactica Online]]'', though, where even the strongest starships a player has regular access to are much weaker, they can bitchslap whole fleets.

* In regular ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'', the Battlestars and Basestars are par for the course. In ''[[Battlestar Galactica Online]]'', though, where even the strongest starships a player has regular access to are much weaker, they can bitchslap whole fleets.

== [[Web Comics]] ==

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* ''[[Kid Radd]]'': Radd is a [[One-Hit-Point Wonder|Four Hit Point Wonder]] from an 8-bit game, but when he visits a fighter-game universe, it's noted that he gets [[Mercy Invincibility]] when injured. And since the fighter-game characters rely on combo moves...

** His girlfriend is an NPC (at least initially) meaning that she doesn't have a health bar to be taken away from, so she is effectively invulnerable to any attacks.

** Also, Radd has a [[Charged Attack]] that's only limited by the word size of the system he's in. In his original 8-bit game, he is able to do a max of [[Powers of Two Minus One|255 damage]], a 16-bit video game allows him to do 65,536 damage, and in the 32-bit Internet he's able to cause [[The End of the World As We Know It|The End of the (Digital) World as We Know It]] if he spends enough time charging. [[Harsher in Hindsight|Mercifully, 64-bit systems weren't yet widespread when the comic had its run...]]

** Also, Radd has a [[Charged Attack]] that's only limited by the word size of the system he's in. In his original 8-bit game, he is able to do a max of [[Powers of Two Minus One|255 damage]], a 16-bit video game allows him to do 65,536 damage, and in the 32-bit Internet he's able to cause [[The End of the World as We Know It|The End of the (Digital) World as We Know It]] if he spends enough time charging. [[Harsher in Hindsight|Mercifully, 64-bit systems weren't yet widespread when the comic had its run...]]

* [http://magellanverse.com/?p=669 Discussed] in ''[[Magellan]]'' during a support group for extra-terrestrial and extra-dimensional students.

* ''[[Three Panel Soul]]'' pokes fun at the concept in [http://threepanelsoul.com/2012/05/01/on-remote-tasting/ this strip].

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== [[Western Animation]] ==

* Inverted for Orco in ''[[He Man and ~~The~~ Masters of ~~The~~ Universe ~~(Animation)~~|He Man and The Masters of The Universe]]''. He is an archmage in his home dimension, but a difference in how magic works reduces him to comedy relief on Eternia.

* Inverted for Orco in ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe|He Man and The Masters of The Universe]]''. He is an archmage in his home dimension, but a difference in how magic works reduces him to comedy relief on Eternia.

** And he lost his wand.

* Certain episodes of [[The Simpsons]] imply that Lisa is this. She's a smart kid, but only brilliant by comparison with Springfield's stupid children and horrible school system. Upon attending Waverly Hills school, she finds out that she's really only a B student, which traumatizes her.